Passengers in East Midlands reminded of changes to train services this Christmas and New Year

Network Rail and East Midlands Trains are reminding passengers of changes to train services this Christmas and New Year as over 160 Network Rail workers miss the festive period with their families to deliver vital upgrades to the Midland Main Line.

As part of the biggest upgrade to the line since the Victorian era, two major pieces of work will be taking place from Sunday 23 December until Tuesday 1 January with passengers strongly advised to check before they travel via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator.

The first major piece of work will see the track layout upgraded north of Wellingborough station. Katie Tingle, Scheme Project Manager will be working on the upgrade to install ten new sets of switches and crossings, the specialist piece of equipment which allows trains to move from one piece of track to another.

Katie said: “Planning this work has been a real team effort for over a year now and we are excited to get started. My role has been to help with support the coordination of the project and we have planned the work in a way that will maximise the amount of time available to us.

Katie Tingle.(Network Rail Image)

The second piece of work will see work on the southern end of the Midland Main Line at Kentish Town. This project follows on from similar work last Christmas and will see 60 workers spending a combined 14,000 hours to upgrade concrete slab which supports the track, creating a more modern and reliable railway which will continue to allow trains to pass through the area safely and reliably for years to come.

Network Rail employee Fran Johnson, from Derby, will be working on the project in Kentish Town.

She said: “I worked on this project last year and it will be great to see it completed this Christmas.

“This work is a key milestone in the Midland Main Line Upgrade which will bring huge benefits to passengers and I am extremely proud to play my part.”

“Working over the festive period is a sacrifice but I enjoy being part of a collaborative team on a challenging project which will deliver real benefits for passengers and I can’t wait to get started.”

A breakdown of how journeys will be affected can be found by visiting nationalrail.co.uk/Christmasand by following #XmasRailWorks on Twitter.